This was the best filter I could find to showcase the purple on this tree. Oh how I wish I could take pictures with my eyes.
Most of this is not really Amsterdam, it is just fall. But fall has always been my favorite season. My birthday, leaves falling, and Halloween are fantastic. Plus no allergies.
I love riding along the bike paths and seeing the leaves fall or going around the corner with leaves on the ground and almost slipping and falling on the bike. I just love fall.
Today we visited Muiderslot castle. This one was much quicker and easier as it is only a 20 drive from our home. More importantly, these two kids love each other so much. Bev is so loud but Charlie loves it, usually. That is when Charlie is not off wandering by himself.
The Muiderslot is a castle in the Netherlands, located at the mouth of the river Vecht, some 15 kilometers southeast of Amsterdam, in Muiden, where it flows into what used to be the Zuiderzee. It's one of the better known castles in the Netherlands and has been featured in many television shows set in the Middle Ages.
A cool part of history is that the Muiderslot castle is part of the fortifications that make up the Holland Waterline Defense. Basically once the invading French got too close to Amsterdam, they would flood huge areas of land making it impossible for the troops to advance. The invading troops would have to retreat. That is a cool defense.
The responsible family members were still out of town so the less responsible of us took off on another day trip, this time to the far northeast of the Netherlands. It was so far northeast that we had to go into Germany in order to come back into the Netherlands. But this time we picked some from friends for the journey.
Here is an overhead shot of the Fort that we went to.
After a longer drive than we anticipated (bad traffic, lunch, and bathroom breaks), we finally arrived at the fort. It has several cool moats and then earthen walls. And of course the first thing the kids did was climb the fortifications. The fort didn't have a chance with these kids.
The cool thing about this fort is that there is an actual village thriving within its walls with cute cafes and museums. I feel bad for its residents though because these kids were loud. I wouldn't have blamed them if they had kicked us out.
After wandering the village, the walls, and the cannons, we wandered into a little museum. I did not have a lot of expectations as the other little museums here were kind of bland. But this museum may have been the best little museum ever.
You take a right into the first room and there is a bird that you can ride on. Between the 4 kids, we probably spent 30 minutes on this alone. Thankfully there were no other kids in the museum. The next room over had a large movie describing the battles. More for the older kids.
But the room next to that had the signature feature, the battle room.
Again, the village was so beautiful and peaceful, until we showed up. The size of that open mouth indicates the decibel level of the sound. Times that by 4.
And of course any Dutch town would not be complete without a windmill. Here is a good view of the inner moat, the earthen wall, the windmill, and a small part of the village.
Our friends the Johnsons invited us to come with them to a cabin for the weekend. We could only go for one night since I had to work this weekend, but we decided to go anyway. We got up early Saturday morning and headed out. The cabin is in the North Georgia Mountains and was just a 2.5 hour drive. You know it is going to be a great vacation when you get out of the car and see a big frog and a cool green cricket. Jannica is fearless when it comes to bugs (not spiders) and frogs and lizards. She will pick anything up! She was able to talk Ryan into holding the cricket, but that did not last long, Ryan is not as brave as Jannica. We all decided to go to Andy's Trout farm. In the ad it boasted train rides, fishing, paddle boats, and mining for the kids. We pulled up to a rickety shack and a golf cart train. Ryan and Jake thought the train rocked. The cars of train were made of burrels (barrels to you and me). The guy said it was not working and to stay away from the front car because it was "full a yella jackets or sumthin". Obviously the train ride did not work out. We did have more luck with the fishing. The guy set us up with some cane poles and off we went. Kelly and Jac went ahead of us. As we were walking down to the pond Jac screamed "these fish are CRAZY!" They really were, they were jumping like 2 feet out of the water and clear across the pond. They were pretty big too. Kelly had baited Jannica's hook by the time I got down there. Poor guy just doesn't know how to bait a hook. That's all right though. I do and was able to fix it. Jac went first and every time she got a nibble she yanked that hook right out of the water. We had to work on letting the fish get a chance to take the hook. Patience paid off! We had a fish after about 2 minutes! As we were pulling the fish out of the water Jac backed into a sink hole up to her knees. She was screaming and so excited, but refused to touch the fish. Later she said that the fish was really hyper, that is why she fell in the hole. She also said that Ryan's fish was better because it didn't bleed like hers. We reassured her that hers was the coolest and the biggest and it was normal that fish bleed. I don't know that she will ever go fishing again. I hope so. I loved it. Ryan was next and I had to sit right next to her to keep the line in the water. We got the fish after about 5 minutes and Ryan was ecstatic! She pulled the fish out of the water and also refused to touch it. She wouldn't even get close to it. I told her it was a rainbow trout fish, so now she tells everyone that she caught a rainbow fish. Jake was next and he would not leave the pole still. I was laughing so hard! Stan was trying to help him and hold the pole still. You could see how hard Jake was trying to move the pole back and forth. After a while of no luck Laura helped Jake at another creek area and he got one. He wouldn't touch it either. We took the fish up to be cleaned. We made Jac watch she that she could see what had to happen when you catch a fish. She was pretty disgusted. When we cooked the fish today Jac was a trooper and tried some, but agrees with me that they are disgusting. Ryan was so excited to eat the rainbow fish. She kept putting her finger on the fish and licking it and saying "yum, I like fishy." When we got it all de-boned and gave her a big bite, her face went from happy, to confusion, to disgust. I was quick to put my hand out to catch the fish she was spitting out. She said "that fish is lucky". (Ryan's word for yucky). So I guess if you come to visit you can count on never having to eat fish. Back to the trout farm...... The mining did not look very promising and there was only one paddle boat to use on the brown lake. We opted to go to lunch and skip the rest of the Andy's experience. So off we went to Fat Buddies. The best BBQ I have ever had. This place had all the southern BBQ works and Kelly was in seventh heaven. Jac and I love ribs and these were great! I wanted to sit and suck on the bones. Laura pointed out that they had shirts for sale that said "I sucked bones at Fat Buddies" I didn't think my mother would approve, so I passed on getting one. The veggie of the day was creamed corn. No diet could survive in this place. On the way home we stopped at a gem mining place. The girls sifted through a bunch of dirt and found "precious gems." Jac looked a little depressed afterwards. I asked her what was wrong and she said that she thought we were going into a real mine with hammers and stuff. What a letdown. She was a trooper though and Laura gave her Jake's bag. Now I have a bunch of "precious gems" laying around the house. I'll have more pictures later, so stay tuned for: Tallulah Falls Opry and Squirrel burgers?
Jaimee called Ryan down to help put her laundry away tonight. A big groan of disgust ensued followed by mumbling to herself, "I don't like it when mom says (then in high falsetto voice) 'Ryan, come down and get your laundry'"
Dubrovnik croatia had us worried. If you look it up on the internet they don't make it sound like the dream place to visit if you are an active traveler. We had our day planned out including heading back to the ship early. As we rode the tender boat into the harbor we were looking for some possible beach options, not really impressed with what we saw.
The old city is surrounded by a huge city wall, so we headed down the main drag and paid to walk on the city wall. As we climbed up the views were beautiful in all directions. We could look out and see the BLUE water as is came right up to the rocks at the base of the wall. The old buildings and churches inside the citywere great and seeing into the people's houses and yards was kind of voyeristically exciting. We wandered around getting hotter and hotter, then, looking over the edge we noticed a bunch of people jumping off rocks and swiming in the clear blue water. We were sure they must be staying in some great hotel built into the side of the wall and were wishing we could stay there too so we could swim.
We kept walking and found more people swimming. So we kept going, finished the walk and came down off the wall. We immediately checked the map and went hunting for the water. On the way we stopped in a narrow street and changed into our swim suits. Kelly was worried someone would see us, but I figured we were fine, I mean c'mon this is EUROPE for pete's sake. We wandered a little more and WE FOUND IT. An opening in the wall with a little tunnel that brought you out to the base of the wall and to the water's edge. Now that we were there, the rocks looked A LOT bigger and I chickened out, so we went in search of the next beach.
We found it and Kelly jumped right in. I hung back cuz it looked cold, but some Brits and kelly told me the water was great. They were lying. But only a little and I got used to it pretty quick. The water was so nice and you barely had to tread water, it was so easy to float! We swam there for a while and then went in search of more beaches. The next one was accessed from the harbor and was a little more hidden. But, there were old men in speedos smoking and speaking croatian and a bunch of pre teen boys running around and splahing in the water, so we knew it was the best spot. This is where the locals were! We got brave and Jumped off this big rock............... a couple of times. It took some t time to talk myself into it, but I finally did it.
We had a BLAST! This spot also had a shower to rinse off at and no one cared if you changed your clothes right there on the beach. (we held up towels for each other, we are not total exhibitionists). We headed back into town, got some tasty thin crust pizza, and some gelato, then sat and people watched. It was an awesome day.We walked outside the city walls and then sat at the harbor watching people, fish and boats while we waited for the tender boat. Dubrovnik = Idyllic.
Today we headed off to central Amsterdam to board the Pancake Boat. But in Dutch, pancakes mean Crepes. It is a 75 minute journey through the canals and rivers around Amsterdam with all you-can-eat Crepes.
Charlie thought that this was an amazing idea. He sat down with his first crepe and dug in. He was finished with his first Crepe before many other people had sat down and before the rest were half way done. He didn't tell me, but I think he liked it. Number 2 went down almost as fast. When number 3 was put down in front of him he looked determined but the process was much slower. It took some time, but he finished number 3. These aren't thin little crepes. These are healthy portions. To put it in scale, I had 4. His were smothered with Nutella though so I guess you can't blame him. Mine were also mostly smothered with Nutella
After eating the crepes, they opened up a hole to the bottom of the boat and invited all the kids down. It was a giant ball pit in the belly of the boat. What fun! When the ride was over, I had to fight with Charlie to get him off the boat because he was having so much fun.
After the Pancake Boat, we walked over to a playground for the kids to play, but this was unlike any playground I had ever seen before. It was two houseboats tied together.
The next houseboat over was a picnic houseboat. I guess in an area where land is limited, a playground on a houseboat makes sense. It was definitely one of the more interesting locations I have ever see for a playground.
We started the day bright and early (by some miracle they slept in until 9). And we headed towards Bruges for an exciting day of exploring. On our way we saw signs for Sint-Niklaas. I'm not exactly sure what I expected with a town named for St Nicholas, butvisions of sugar-plums danced in my head. So we diverted the car and headed to downtown Sint-Niklaas.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, not a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer, but a Belgian Waffle stand.
Their eyes-how they twinkled! There smiles how merry! There cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry, cause it was kind of cold.
There droll little mouths were drawn up like a bow, and the beard of their chins was as white as the snow, covered with powdered sugar.
They spoke not a word, but went straight to there work, and filled all their bellies, then turned with a jerk. Now Beverly! now, Charlie! On, Bevely! On, Charlie (because I have to repeat myself often)! To the top of the parking deck! to the car we will go! Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"
The bell on the town hall seemed to be ringing constantly. I wanted to think that it sounded like a Christmas song. But I think that it is really wishful thinking.
We continued on to Bruges and after a long time trying to figure out how to park, we began to explore the old city.
We debated with ourselves on if we should go to the top of the bell tower, 366 steps. Charlie has done more in the past going up Amicalola Falls, but I just didn't feel like we were going to make it. So we didn't even try.
The drive into Bruges was amazing. The countryside looked almost like we were driving through New England with all the leaves changing colors.
And in the city, there were some beautiful spots with the leaves in amazing colors. The city was pretty cool with more amazing canals everywhere. Although the kids did not have as great a time exploring Bruges. It is amazing how a powdered sugar Belgian Waffle makes you feel about a place.
We took off towards Belgium today to explore a little bit further. Antwerpen (Antwerp in English and French) is only two hours away so that was our destination today.
On the way we stopped by the LDS Temple (Tempel van de Kerk van Jezus Christus van de Heiligen der Laats Dagen) that is in Zoetermeer. It turns out the temple is right next to the cute little downtown are across a canal. We crossed the canal on one of these old drawbridges. It is a really cute setting. There was construction on the parking lot and on the building so we were not able to get any closer.
We continued on our way to Antwerpen. We found a place to park and exited the parking garage to immediately see the castle on the rivers edge, Hetsteen.
Here is a view from the other side. If Charlie is looking quite muscular, it is because he is doubled up on sweaters. I think it makes him look more like a ferocious football player (American, not the boring kind).
Bev and I took a selfie exploring the old historical center.
This is the Grote Markt, or the big central square.
The kids were immediately drawn to the large statue in the middle of the square and started their climb. That is a huge old cathedral in the background.
And he wanted to climb and climb. Bev is right behind him.
We headed to the hotel and the kids were in heaven. There was a bed for each of them, which is really exciting when you are in a family of 7. We had to take an iPad break and rest those weary legs (not mine).
And we left for dinner. We kept looking for a place with Belgian Waffles, but we couldn't find one. I'm sure we were just looking in the wrong place. So we settled for Belgian Fries. They fry them twice. Once to cook them and then again to get the color right. And they are smothered with mayo. Curry ketchup was another option. We will try to get the Belgian Waffles tomorrow as we are headed to Brugges.
Jaimee took Ryan and Cameron to Atlanta. Jac flew off to see her mom in Montana. That left me with the two youngest kids and several days off from work. So I decided to explore the countryside. We had heard about this place called Moses Bridge. It is an underwater bridge that separates the waters.
We drove about an hour and a half away to the south to see this old fort, Fort Roovere, which is a fort mostly covered by grass.
No, your eyes are not deceiving you - the waters have indeed parted! This incredible “sunken” bridge located in the Netherlands is giving visitors a unique way to access a beautiful 17th Century Dutch fort.
Designed by RO & AD Architects, the Moses Bridge literally parts the waters that surround the fort, allowing pedestrians to pass through. The bridge is made from sustainable Accsys Technologies Accoya wood, which is both FSC and PEFC certified.
The sign says that it is contaminated water, so don't touch it. We didn't.
And here is how the bridge looks from far away. You almost can't tell that it is there.
The Netherlands Open Air Museum is an open-air museum and park located near Arnhem with antique houses, farms and factories from different parts of the Netherlands. The Netherlands Open Air Museum is a national museum focusing on the culture associated with the everyday lives of ordinary people.
It is a pretty cool place and the kids loved it. They have worked it out so that even the most mundane things are interactive and exciting. The first exhibit had a place where you pull a fake horses tail and you can tell how much horse power you can pull. We had to do it as a family and it was fun. There was also a safe that had a code. You had to find the code in another place in the museum so that you could open the safe.
I finally have been able to get Cameron to do some chores around the house. I knew that living in the Netherlands was going to be different, but I didn't know that we would have to fetch our own water.
Bev is busy cleaning the clothes. Good thing too because I have not been able to find the dry cleaner yet.
We found this really cool swing in the park. There is room for 4 people to swing at once.
There is also a place where you can cross the river in a self powered ferry. The kids thought this was a great idea.
We looked at old houses, old hospitals, old train yards, old dairies, old farmhouses, old everything that has existed in the Netherlands. It was a pretty interesting, interactive day. Loved every minute of it.
